Service NSW to set up shop in Toronto
9th November 2018
THE state government has announced a new Service NSW Centre will be up and running in Toronto Town Square, on The Boulevarde, in the first half of 2019. ... more

Piper announces location for Service NSW
8th November 2018
Service NSW will set up shop in Toronto Town Square on The Boulevarde, the Minister for Finance, Services and Property Victor Dominello and Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper announced on Thursday. ... more

Wyee station upgrade planned
7th November 2018
Wyee Railway station is to get a major upgrade including three new lifts. Other improvements proposed include accessible pathways, an additional accessible parking space, a new kiss-and-ride space and a new family accessible restroom.
... more

Three lifts in new Wyee Station design
6th November 2018
TRANSPORT for NSW has released a concept design of what Wyee train station could look like after its proposed accessibility upgrades. The project was announced as part of the state budget in June and is set to include three new lifts, accessible pathways, an additional accessible parking space, a ki... ... more

Walk raises $5000 for ovarian cancer research
6th November 2018
The first Teal Sisters Walk at Lake Macquarie has raised more than $5000 for Ovarian Cancer Australia. The event was organised by Wangi Wangi women Liz Wright who last year was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic ovarian cancer, the deadliest women’s cancer. ... more

Designs for Wyee Station released
5th November 2018
THREE lifts are a key feature of the initial designs released this week for the Wyee Station makeover. Member for Lake Macquarie Greg Piper has invited the Wyee community to learn more about the proposed upgrade this Thursday, November 8, from 5pm to 7pm.
... more

Local tributes for Ian Kiernan
18th October 2018
IAN Kiernan, the round-the-world sailor who founded the Clean Up Australia organisation, has died, aged 78. Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper said Mr Kiernan’s passing would reverberate through the region, where Mr Piper said the seeds that would bloom into Clean Up Australia Day took root. ... more

$3m expansion for Speers Point football centre
17th October 2018
LAKE Macquarie Regional Football Facility will undergo a $3m upgrade that will include an education centre and improvements designed to increase the chances of hosting national and international events. ... more

Generosity of Lake residents recognised in Parliament
17th October 2018
MEMBER for Lake Macquarie Greg Piper has spoken proudly in State Parliament of the generous response from his constituents to drought relief efforts for farmers. The Independent MP praised Wangi Wangi for its efforts.
... more

Piper pays tribute to Ian Kiernan
17th October 2018
IAN Kiernan, the round-the-world sailor who founded the Clean Up Australia organisation, has died, aged 78. Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper said Mr Kiernan's passing would reverberate through the region, where Mr Piper said the seeds that would bloom into Clean Up Australia Day took root. ... more

Kicking goals: $3m upgrade for football centre
11th October 2018
LAKE Macquarie Regional Football Facility will undergo a $3m upgrade that will include an education centre and improvements designed to increase the chances of hosting national and international events. ... more

Clouds gather over Costco's Boolaroo plans
10th October 2018
Retail giant Costco has scrapped plans for a store at the former Pasminco site. Sources with knowledge of Costco’s plan to buy land from administrator Ferrier Hodgson told the Newcastle Herald on Tuesday the bulk retailer had walked away from the trading table. ... more

Battle for parking at Cardiff to continue
28th September 2018
WALLSEND MP Sonia Hornery says the state government’s failure to act on parking issues at Cardiff train station “is dogging our commuters and turning them off using public transport”.
Ms Hornery made the comments in state parliament on Thursday during the continuation of a motion debate regarding t... ... more

The battle for parking at Cardiff
27th September 2018
WALLSEND MP Sonia Hornery says the state government’s failure to act on parking issues at Cardiff train station “is dogging our commuters and turning them off using public transport”.
... more

Fans of PCYC's cool funding
20th September 2018
IT sometimes gets so hot in the PCYC Morisset centre that club manager Rosmairi Dawson is forced to cancel activities. ... more

Morisset Hall restoration boosted by funding grant
10th September 2018
Two Lake Macquarie projects will share in $51,000 worth of funding from the NSW Government’s Crown Reserves Improvement Fund. Member for Lake Macquarie Greg Piper said the grants will be made to Morisset Hall and Literary Institute and Lake Macquarie City Council for two significant local projects. ... more

$2.2m for renewal of Watkins Road at Wangi
23rd August 2018
THERE’S a $2.2-million makeover coming for a section of Watkins Road, in Wangi Wangi, but still no long-term maintenance plan for the state-owned Reserve Road, at the end of Wangi Point. ... more

Work to start on Fishery Point Road intersection
23rd August 2018
Work to install traffic lights at the intersection of Macquarie Street and Fishery Point Road at Morisset will start on Tuesday.
The lights will be a key feature of the state government’s $3.3-million upgrade of the busy junction. ... more

Cleaning up the town for the benefit of all
9th July 2018
Meet Brody Muser. He’s a 21-year-old man from Balcolyn on the western edge of Lake Macquarie who is doing his bit – and more – for the community. He had taken part in the annual national rubbish-collection and awareness day before, but was staggered by the amount of garbage throughout the nearby lak... ... more

$20,000 for Aboriginal art and culture
27th June 2018
LAKE Macquarie City Council has received $20,000 in state government funding to develop an exhibition space for Aboriginal art and culture. Member for Lake Macquarie, Greg Piper, and Minister for the Arts, Don Harwin, today announced the council would receive the funding through the annual Aborigina... ... more

Roads department questions 'safety' of transport interchange
26th June 2018
THE state government says public safety is a major reason behind its lack of support for the road bridge at the heart of the Lake Macquarie Transport Interchange. But Lake Macquarie City Council and the two MPs whose electorates cover the project are still backing the bridge over the main northern r... ... more

Government says it won't fund Glendale rail bridge
21st June 2018
AFTER more than 20 years of planning the NSW government says it is not prepared to fund the road bridge over the railway between Glendale and Cardiff at the heart of the Lake Macquarie Transport Interchange. ... more

Independent Greg Piper explains how he gets it done
21st June 2018
GREG Piper has a few constituents who dismiss him as a lightweight state member because, being an Independent, he “will never be in government”. But the veteran Lake Macquarie MP reckons they’re missing the point. “As an Independent, I’m never in opposition,” he said. ... more

Local MP 'never in Opposition'
21st June 2018
GREG Piper has a few constituents who dismiss him as a lightweight state member because, being an Independent, he “will never be in government”. But the veteran Lake Macquarie MP reckons they’re missing the point. “As an Independent, I’m never in opposition,” he said. ... more

Hit and miss for Hunter in State Budget
19th June 2018
The NSW government has announced a state budget light on new major infrastructure for Newcastle but with a nod towards several key Hunter road projects. The Lower Hunter’s Labor politicians reacted angrily to the lack of major funding announcements, arguing the government was largely ignoring ... more

The Hunter's Budget wish list
18th June 2018
The road funding was among a selection of half a dozen Hunter projects detailed in a pre-budget briefing to the Herald on Monday. Others included $110 million already committed to finish the Newcastle light-rail line, $2.771 million to refurbish and upgrade the Hunter Street TAFE ... more

Funding for youth crime prevention projects
6th June 2018
LAKE Macquarie Police District commander Superintendent Danny Sullivan says it’s an old saying, but it still rings true. “It takes a village to raise a child,” he said. ... more

$2m for art gallery expansion and new arts hub
5th June 2018
THE state government has given Lake Macquarie City Council more than $2 million to fund an expansion of Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery and the creation of a multi arts space at Speers Point Park. ... more

Breaking bread with Greg Piper
2nd June 2018
FROM his seat, he has a water view, but Greg Piper is concentrating on the menu at Hughzies’ Lakeside Brasserie in Toronto. Perhaps he is looking for a dish involving kangaroo. But no, he orders crumbed lamb cutlets. ... more

Piper secures $2m for gallery and new art hub
30th May 2018
The state government has chipped in $2 million to boost the arts in Lake Macquarie, announcing funding for a new multi-arts hub at Speers Point Park and an extension for Lake Macquarie Art Gallery. ... more

Awaba phone faults 'unacceptable', says Piper
9th May 2018
Residents in the Lake Macquarie suburb of Awaba say they've been without landline phone services for almost two months, and they're fed up with waiting for Telstra.
Judith McDonald says her landline went down in mid-March and she lost internet at the beginning of May. ... more

Traffic lights for notorious intersection
9th May 2018
TRAFFIC lights will be installed at one of Morisset’s most notorious intersections. Roads and Maritime Services is seeking feedback from the community on its plans to improve the intersection of Macquarie Street and Fishery Point Road. ... more

Opinion: Balancing tourism with kangaroo paws
4th May 2018
THE kangaroo is, for better of worse, likely the first thing any international visitor associates with our wide brown land. It is no surprise, then, that a chance to encounter them in the grounds of Morisset’s psychiatric hospital has achieved such a rarified status as a best-kept secret of Australi... ... more

Kangaroo attacks at Morisset prompt calls for action
2nd May 2018
SIGNS in multiple languages warning that kangaroos can cause injuries and shouldn't be fed should be installed at what has become a tourist hotspot in the grounds of Morisset Hospital, according to Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper. ... more

Pollie tells tourists: 'Don't cuddle the roos'
2nd May 2018
Tourists have been attacked by kangaroos in the grounds of a NSW hospital, with one man receiving a deep gash to his stomach and another requiring 17 stitches to his face, a state MP has told parliament. ... more

Historic bell and Anzac flag stolen
27th April 2018
TERALBA Public’s principal Richard Metcalf would personally pay the thieves who stole the school’s beloved bell what they would have collected for its scrap metal, if it guaranteed the safe return of the historic artefact.
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Sailing regatta breaks fundraising record
19th April 2018
Heaven Can Wait Regatta organisers weren’t sure if the 2018 entry into the history books would be “particularly big” due to a short year overall, but Toronto’s Royal Motor Yacht Club vice-commodore Mel Steiner has revealed it was their “biggest and best year yet”. ... more

Piper confirms he'll contest 2019 election
17th April 2018
The battle lines are firming across the Hunter and Lake Macquarie a year out from the next NSW government election, with all of the region’s sitting MPs confirming they will stick their hands up to re-contest their seats. Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery was the latest state member to confirm her preselect... ... more

Disability advocacy funding cuts reversed
6th April 2018
CUTS to funding for disability advocacy in NSW will be wound back, the state government announced on Friday. The $13 million in funding delivered to advocacy groups, which advocates said formed the bedrock of their operations, had been touted to disappear after the state’s disability spending was tr... ... more

Lake residents would 'have a meltdown' over nuclear power plant
2nd April 2018
YASMIN Catley is calling for Premier Gladys Berejiklian to rule out nuclear power in NSW.
The Member for Swansea’s comments came after it was revealed the Deputy Premier John Barilaro was on a tax payer funded trip to the US where he attended the International SMR and Reactor Summit, in Atlanta,... ... more

Speers Point swimming season to be extended
29th March 2018
THE swimming season at Speers Point Swim Centre is about to be extended, and become more comfortable.
A solar photovoltaic and electric heat pump is about to be installed there.
Lake Macquarie City Council has received a helping hand with the project in the form of a grant through the state go... ... more

Action needed on Boolaroo lead disposal
21st March 2018
BY the way the various authorities are dancing around the backyard lead contamination left behind by the Pasminco smelter, an observer could be forgiven for thinking we are dealing with some sort of highly radioactive or deadly poison that will kill on impact. ... more

Pressure mounts on EPA over Boolaroo lead
21st March 2018
PRESSURE is mounting on the NSW Environment Protection Authority to develop a repository in Lake Macquarie to accept lead contaminated soil, as residents shun the current option of loading large piles of dirt into 800-kilogram bulka bags for disposal at Newcastle City Council’s Summerhill Waste Mana... ... more

Piper issues pre-Budget wish list
14th March 2018
THE Lake Macquarie Transport Interchange and upgrades to Wyee and Dora Creek train stations top the list of Lake Macquarie infrastructure projects that could be funded by the Snowy Hydro sale. ... more

Exercising political teamwork at Wangi
7th March 2018
THE Wangi Fitness Trail was opened on Saturday, but even before the first push-up was performed on the outdoor fitness stations, the project was hailed as an impressive exercise in political cooperation. ... more

Balance of power could fall into the hands of Independents
6th March 2018
Gladys Berejiklian’s Coalition government has surrendered its lead over Labor a year out from a state election, raising the serious risk of a hung parliament, as voters continue to drift to minor parties and dissatisfaction with the NSW Premier’s performance rises.A Newspoll, conducted ... more

Invitations sent to Wyee residents
5th March 2018
Invitations have been sent to all residential landowners at Wyee about the next public meeting on the planned sewer connection project for the town. The meeting will be held at Wyee Community Hall from 6pm to 8pm on Thursday, March 22.
... more

'Paltry' sum for Boolaroo
28th February 2018
THE state government has allocated to Lake Macquarie less than five per cent of its $23.5 million budget for improving handling of contaminated NSW land, a sum labelled as “paltry” considering the difficulties faced by residents living on the land polluted by the Pasminco lead and zinc smelter. ... more

Bus route decisions must be reviewed, says Piper
15th February 2018
PARLIAMENTARY Secretary for the Hunter, Scot MacDonald, has defended the new local bus network which he said was delivering more services more often, with faster journey times. He said the new Newcastle Transport network was showing signs of “positive growth” after just three weeks of operation. ... more

State grant for Lake Macquarie foreshore 'art trail'
12th February 2018
ART will play its part on Lake Macquarie’s foreshore under a $285,800 grant from the state government announced on Monday. Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper announced the grant, which will go towards a project worth more than $500,000.
... more

Piper secures $1.3m to repair jetties
19th January 2018
THERE were plenty of celebrations on the Wangi Wangi waterfront for the New Year’s Eve fireworks, but there was no dancing on the jetty (with apologies to INXS). ... more

MP warns of reduced speed limits
20th November 2017
LAKE Macquarie MP Greg Piper has warned local motorists that Marconi Road at Morisset/Bonnells Bay is not the only local road to be subject to a reduced speed limit. ... more

Piper weighs in on holiday letting debate
2nd November 2017
Source: The Lakes Mail | By: David Stewart | Posted: October 20, 2017
OWNERS of homes offered for short-term holiday letting should be compelled to remain on site, and be available 24/7 to respond to any complaints from neighbours about noise and unruly behaviour in so-called ‘party houses’. ... more

RMS sticks by plan to reduce Marconi Rd speed limit
31st October 2017
ROADS and Maritime Services is proceeding with plans to reduce the speed limit on Marconi Road, Morisset, from 70kmh to 60kmh. “The speed limit will be changed. New speed zone signs are expected to be installed by the end of the year,” the RMS said on Tuesday. ... more

Scouts return to their Rathmines home base
18th October 2017
THE Scouts are back in their hall at Rathmines after a nine-month lock-out was enforced to enable asbestos to be removed from the building.
Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser handed the keys of the 1st Rathmines Scout Hall back to the Scouts regional commissioner to special duties in Lake Macquarie ... ... more

Lake MP's praise for remarkable students
17th October 2017
LAKE Macquarie MP Greg Piper has praised the five Toronto High School students who completed the 240km-long Great North Walk to raise funds for the Black Dog Institute. ... more

Boat ramp boost for summer
16th October 2017
THE state government has spent almost $900,000 upgrading boat ramps in Toronto and Balmoral in time for summer. ... more

Sun shines on youth sailing regatta
10th October 2017
SOUTH Lake Macquarie Amateur Sailing Club, at Sunshine, played host to a record 288 dinghies and almost 400 competitors for the 2017 Trinity Point NSW Youth Championships over the October long weekend ... more

A toxic waste of time
3rd October 2017
IT was hardly a punishing schedule.
In 2015, authorities announced that Newcastle City Council was investigating building a containment cell at its landfill site to accept lead-contaminated soil from north Lake Macquarie.
More than a year later, ... more

Disability advocates become collateral damage in NDIS roll-out
21st September 2017
DISABILITY support networks could thin or disappear altogether under funding changes due to come into force in less than a year, one of the sector’s leading bosses has said. Hunter-based Disability Advocacy NSW chief executive Mark Grierson travelled to Sydney on Wednesday to press the state governm... ... more

Piper calls for end to Wangi road stand-off
30th August 2017
STATE MP Greg Piper has called for Lake Macquarie City Council and the state government to sort out the jurisdictional impasse preventing repairs to one of the most pot-hole ravaged roads in the city. ... more

Hunter MPs back marriage equality
29th August 2017
CATHOLIC Archbishop Denis Hart’s veiled threat to church employees over same sex marriage has backfired in a region devastated by clerical child sex abuse, a poll of Hunter mayors and state and federal politicians on the same sex marriage postal vote has shown. ... more

Funding will build Munibung Road's 'missing link'
4th August 2017
GLENDALE and Boolaroo will be directly linked together following a $2.2 federal commitment to extend Munibung Road. Independent MP Greg Piper said it was a missing link for the region’s roads, taking the burden off other areas and speeding up simple trips.
... more

Hospital will stay in public hands
1st August 2017
INDEPENDENT Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper has described the state government’s decision to abandon a public-private partnership for the $200-million redevelopment of Wyong Hospital... ... more

More scrutiny for AirBnb and Stayz
23rd July 2017
HUNTER property owners who use Stayz and Airbnb could face limits on how often they let their properties and be forced to pay strata fees under a plan before the NSW government. Hosts could also have to reimburse neighbours for disruptive guests, and have to be registered to let under the crackdown ... ... more

Residents call for regulation of short-term holiday lettings
23rd July 2017
HUNTER residents fed up with out of control Airbnb parties involving alcohol and excessive noise are demanding immediate action, but supporters of short-stay platforms claim regulations will cost the region millions in tourism dollars. ... more

$1.7m to end interchange stand-off
20th June 2017
The state government has pledged nearly $2 million to prepare a business case for the remaining stages of the Lake Macquarie Transport Interchange. ... more

Budget 'could have been better': Piper
20th June 2017
LAKE Macquarie MP Greg Piper said if the state government had been fair dinkum about driving the Hunter’s economy it would have announced major capital works funding for the region in Tuesday’s budget. ... more

Premier pops in for an update and chat with Lake locals
11th June 2017
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was in Toronto this afternoon where she inspected the newly opened police station and strolled through Toronto Town Square and chatted with locals. Ms Berejiklian said she’d accepted an invitation from Independent Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper to make the visit. ... more

A new footpath 50 years in the making
8th June 2017
THE old timers in Toronto will tell you they first started campaigning for a footpath along Brighton Avenue in the 1960s. For decades, limited funding and competing priorities conspired to prevent Lake Macquarie City Council from committing to the project. But on Friday, the final stretch of that fo... ... more

New Toronto Police Station officially opened
7th June 2017
MEMBER for Lake Macquarie Greg Piper didn’t pull any punches when describing how dilapidated the old Toronto police station had become. “It was really as bad as it could get without it being condemned,” Mr Piper said. ... more

Lake voices added to palliative care debate
1st June 2017
LAKE Macquarie residents will have the opportunity next month to contribute to the future of palliative care services in NSW. Palliative care is currently under discussion at state-wide roundtables with community and health professionals. ... more

Glendale plans likely to miss out
26th May 2017
THE Hunter’s political leaders are preparing for another letdown in the state budget for the region’s top infrastructure project, the Lake Macquarie Transport Interchange. Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser and senior council staff met this week with NSW Transport and Infrastructure Minister Andrew Con... ... more

Lake Macquarie's Woman of the Year honoured
2nd May 2017
MANAGER of Southlakes Carers, Vivienne Bruce, has received the state government’s award for Lake Macquarie Woman of the Year. Member for Lake Macquarie Greg Piper presented the award to Ms Bruce in a ceremony at the organisation’s Morisset headquarters on Thursday. Mr Piper paid tribute to Ms Bruce’... ... more

Innovative solutions needed to ease housing affordability crisis
24th April 2017
Vacant buildings at Morisset Hospital could be used for short-term accommodation for the needy under a proposal pitched by MP Greg Piper in state parliament. The Member for Lake Macquarie said innovative solutions were needed to boost the supply of affordable housing in the city. ... more

Residents caught in legal crossfire after homes 'crack up'
18th April 2017
Lake residents have been caught up in the legal crossfire between Lake Macquarie council and the supplier of a road base material over claims it has caused extensive damage to their homes. People like Phil O'Neill at Wangi Wangi have been waiting more than four years for repairs to be carried out. ... more

Piper looks to get Bunderra moving
17th March 2017
Independent Member for Lake Macquarie Greg Piper will meet with the city council over the stalled Bunderra Estate subdivision at Boolaroo in a bid to find a way forward for the 70 landowners caught in the crossfire of a legal dispute. ... more

First stage of Lake Macquarie Transport Interchange set to open
28th February 2017
The first part of the long-awaited Lake Macquarie Transport Interchange project is due to open in May. The $25-million section of divided roadway linking Main Road, Cardiff, with the Glendale retail precinct and the Hunter Sports Centre is fast taking shape under the practiced hand of head contracto... ... more

The haves and have-nots in Lake palliative care services
22nd February 2017
LAKE Macquarie residents living south of the Fennell Bay bridge do not receive the same 24-hour palliative care services as their northern neighbours, and instead have to rely on a telephone service for care outside of business hours. Greg Piper has called for a review of the services. ... more

An uncertain future for Wangi power station
21st February 2017
The future of the huge and historic Wangi power station is under a cloud with the decommissioned plant left to the mercy of vandals. If time and the elements don't sound the building's death knell, then the vandals probably will, Greg Piper said. ... more

Mined out: Hunter loses in controversial Resources for Regions scheme
24th January 2017
Source: Newcastle Herald | By: Joanne McCarthy
A State fund established to compensate regional areas affected by mining has continued to short-change Lake Macquarie and the Hunter despite billions of dollars in mine royalties to state coffers, an analysis of government figures has shown. ... more

Politics leaves Lake Macquarie shortchanged: Piper
18th January 2017
THE NSW Audit Office will be asked to review the NSW Government’s controversy-plagued Resources for Regions program after National Party seats secured nine out of 10 funded projects in a recent funding round, and Upper Hunter coal areas lost millions of dollars in favour of Broken Hill. Independent ... ... more

Public outcry earns win for Sport and Rec centres
12th January 2017
The State Government has abandoned plans to outsource management of Sport and Recreation Centres at Myuna Bay and Point Wolstoncroft following a public outcry and a campaign led by the PSA and Laker Macquarie MP Greg Piper. ... more

Report into lead pollution released
23rd December 2016
The long-awaited report into managing lead contamination around the old Pasminco site at Boolaroo has made 22 recommendations aimed at minimising health risks and managing future environmental impacts. ... more

Piper seeks feedback on draft boat strategy
15th December 2016
There are almost 20,000 registered boats in Lake Macquarie, and not enough places to store them. Moorings and marina berths are in high demand, and sheltered bays around the lake are increasingly cluttered with various types of boat. It’s why the state government has drafted a strategy pitching pote... ... more

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ABOUT GREG

Greg Piper has been an independent voice for the people of Lake Macquarie for more than 20 years, as a Member of Parliament, Mayor and councillor. He was elected to Lake Macquarie council in 1991, served as Mayor from 2004 until 2012 and has been the State MP for Lake Macquarie since 2007.